Favorite Fantasy Books by Subgenre

Everyone knows what fantasy is. However, there are so many different categories of fantasy out there. Some I definitely enjoy more than others and some I don't tend to read at all. Here are my favorite books in each subgenre that I do read from. 

1. High/Epic Fantasy

This subgenre takes place in a fictional world, also known as "secondary" world with Earth being "primary". This is the most encompassing subgenre as other categories may or may not fall under this as well. Most epic fantasy shows the journey and growth of a main protagonist or group of protagonists that the story is told from the perspective of. One main theme that is found throughout this subgenre is the typical "good v. evil", with many books focusing on this. 

This list of high fantasy books are mostly well known and include A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin, The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss, The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb, and perhaps the most well known, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. 

My favorite happens to be an unfinished series that most people have definitely heard of...The Stormlight Archives. Now call me cliché but I am a huge Sanderson fan. I find his worldbuilding to be one of the best that I've read, and his characters have a depth that many fantasy books are lacking. Sure, his conversations can sometimes leave  me wanting more, but overall, this series has made me feel every emotion possible. 

My favorite is Rhythm of War. It is the latest (#4) in the series and brings together his larger Cosmere universe. It is epic in scale and has so many memorable characters that I care about. They are humungous books but so worth the time and effort of picking them up. 

2. Low Fantasy

If high fantasy takes place in a secondary world, low fantasy takes place in our primary world. This can be a normal, everyday setting, but where magic or some sort of fantasy element exists. Think of Harry Potter, perhaps the most well known example. The setting is England in the 90s, but magic is at the forefront of the story. Other examples include American Gods by Neil Gaiman, Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, and The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. 

This means that the main character, or characters, still must follow rules set out in this world. Low fantasy also encompasses many other subgenres, such as urban fantasy, magical realism, and paranormal fantasy. 

My favorite is actually a very new release and one that I read this year. A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark was absolutely amazing. It takes place in steampunk version of Cairo in 1912 and the world is so immersive. Clark's writing is some of the best flowing that I've ever read. His characters are also fantastic. I don't want to say that not many men can write completely believable female characters, but Clark definitely can. Not once did I roll my eyes because his two main female characters did something that no woman would ever do. I loved every minute of this book, which is the first in a series and has three prequel novellas as well. 

3. Gothic Fantasy

Gothic fantasy is a low fantasy subgenre which has a dark, eerie, and somewhat terrifying atmosphere. They are creepier than other fantasy books and usually evoke some sense of dread. Some examples are A House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig, Dracula by Bram Stoker, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. 

Lovecraft also falls into this genre and I desperately  need to read some of his work. These books are full of suspense and often very emotional. When I read them, I get that feeling in the pit of my stomach like something isn't quite right, which I think makes a good gothic fantasy successful. 

My favorite one that I've read, and honestly I need to read more in this subgenre, is Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Many gothic fantasy books I tend to find somewhat silly, but this was absolutely not. It was creepy and atmospheric. Moreno-Garcia brought this world to life and I could easily visualize the setting. The main character, Noemí, is practically trapped in one place for the entirety of the book, but that didn't limit the story in one bit. I highly recommend this, especially to newer readers of the subgenre because it was a very quick and easy read. 

4. Grimdark

This is probably the fantasy subgenre that I am have been the most recently introduced to. These books are definitely dark and violent, but are often described as the most realistic. I'm not 100% convinced of this fact, but I can see where people are coming from when they say that. It usually deals with characters wrestling with some sort of moral dilemma. 

Some examples of grimdark include Gentlemen Bastards by Scott Lynch, The First Law by Joe Abercrombie, and The Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence. I'd say Joe Abercrombie is probably the most well known grimdark author, and it was my introduction to it. While I did thoroughly enjoy those books, I liked one just a bit more. 

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang is undoubtedly one of the best books I've ever read. I am not including the whole series (although it will probably end up being one of my favorites as well) because I've only read the first two so far. This book is set in a world at war. The main character, Rin, is from a poor village but manages to win her way into a prestigious school where she learns that she possesses magical Shaman powers. 

Unlike other grimdark books that I've read, the main character is not an adult, white male. The action is so brutally visual and based off of actual historical events. Kuang makes every word jump off the page and has solidified herself, in my opinion, as one of the best modern fantasy writers. 

5. Magical Realism

Magic realism walks the line between enjoyable and annoying sometimes. These stories take place in our world, but happen to have some sort of fantastical element in them. It basically is in the name, they're both fantasy and reality. These books are often times very dramatic (overly so I find) and are more literary feeling than other fantasy subgenres. By this I mean classically literary that focuses more on overall themes than plot. 

I think this may be my least favorite of the subgenres. I usually find the synopsis better than the actual book, but that is due to the fact that I am a plot driven reader 90% of the time. That's not to say it's the only thing I care about, or that all magical realism books lack a plot, it's just my experience with most magical realism books. Examples include 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, and Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. 

My personal favorite is Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I may be biased, but I absolutely love Gaiman's writing. While I still didn't rate this one high (★★★☆☆), it is still my favorite magical realism book. It's about a older man who, when he was a boy, met a girl who told him the pond he lives by is the ocean. 

This is what I mean about magical realism. It's set in present day England but there's a pond that's the ocean. Now obviously everything isn't as it seems. Perhaps the reason I do like this the best out of the previously listed ones is because it's so short. I still recommend it because it's Neil Gaiman and I'll give anything he writes a try. 

6. Portal Fantasy 

I love portal fantasy. It's pretty much exactly what it sounds like. There's a portal of some sort that transports the character to another world, realm, or elsewhere. Whether it be accidental, purposeful, a known place, or an unknown place, if the characters go through a portal and end up in a different place, it's a portal fantasy. 

These include some of the most well known classic stories like Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol, Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, as well as newer books such as The Wayward Children by Seanan McGuire and Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. 

My favorite I don't think I've heard anyone talk about anywhere on booktube or blogs. His books have been talked about but not this series. It is the Magic Kingdom of Landover series by Terry Brooks. This series is about a lawyer who buys a magical kingdom out of a newspaper ad for a million dollars. After buying it, he travels to where the destination is and is transported through a portal. Basically, he is made a king and gets into all sorts of shenanigans. It is funny and not too serious. The cast of characters is great and Terry Brooks' writing is fantastic. More people need to read this book, and Brooks in general. Sure, they are older books, but that doesn't make them any less great. 

There are many more subgenres of fantasy, including paranormal fantasy, fairy tales, historical fantasy, erotic fantasy, flintlock fantasy, and more, these are just the main 6 that I tend to gravitate toward, or that I pick up the most.